Artist Interview// Toronto's ElceeTheArtist an Upcoming Sensation from Canada

Location: Toronto, Canada. It seems like in the recent years, a wave of Canadian rappers has started to emerge and leave a print in the music game. With the success artists like Drake, Tory Lanez, and OB Obrien have had, other Canadian rappers have been inspired to expose their talent. Both a producer and artist, ElceeTheArtist is one of the many talented rappers that has been gaining buzz domestically & internationally.

Initially beginning his artistic career - writing lyrics- as a coping mechanism to getting things off his chest, the talented artist has released multiple projects which have quickly gained attention from listeners around the nation & which have earned him spots at shows at the Drake hotel. The successful reception of his EP "Love Notes" has been making it's way into peoples playlists and we can tell why. The EP is a smooth 5 track project that includes Hip-Hop/ R&B tunes, melodic tunes, nice vocals, and a very special message to the ladies.

We wanted to sit down and discuss the artist's success with this EP as well to what he has planned next, so we interviewed him. In this interview Elcee, talks about the inspiration behind "Love Notes", the incomparable video to "Little Tings", rocking shows, as well to dedicating the project to a very special person.

Enjoy the interview!

Tell us about yourself Elcee. Where are you from? What are your interests/hobbies/pass time?

I go by ElceeTheArtist, born LaShawn Powell. Currently residing in Toronto, Canada but born east Canada in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To be honest haha, I'm a real cyber geek! Anything tech related gets me hyped. Basketball used to be my biggest passion and is still a part of my life, but difficult to play it as consistently as I would like to. I used to do street ball (And1/Globetrotter) and that was a huge part of my life lol.

Any interesting story that contributed to you pursuing a music career, that you would like to share?

Not sure if it's that interesting per say, but my homie in like 9th grade (2003) started to record voice notes of songs and kept telling me I should do them too. So I kind of just started off doing that, but I realized I was able to get a lot off my chest through the song writing so I just ran with it initially as a coping mechanism. I didn't even share my music with people until like 2009.

What style of music do you consider yourself to make? And what/who influenced you?

Hmm lol. I would say I do experimental HipHop/R&B because of my production choices. I've been tagging my content as #YogaFlame haha, just to kind of play on the fact that I'm flexible to beat selection, and have an open mind to the style of production I jump on. I feel like each project that I release has, or will have its own genre that it will lean towards.

As for my influences, SoundCloud as a whole has definitely influenced my free range of sound approach. I stumble on so many talented producers and artists that it's hard to not be inspired. Artists like Childish Gambino, Chance The Rapper, Big Sean, KYLE, MNEK & more of today's talent definitely play a role in the creation of my content. I do reflect and look back at some artists like Ludacris, DragOn, Twista, DMX, and the OG's of my time like Pac, Nate Dogg, Warren G, Bone Thugs and more.

Your song “Little Tings”, besides the whole “Love Notes” EP has become a favorite amongst listeners around the country, how did you come up with the song?

Yeah, it's kind of crazy how much traction that record gained for me. Myself and BXNHMCVRTR (Bonham Carter) have been collaborating since 2013. He's a producer that always catches my attention, so I really just came across his SoundCloud post of the Little Tings beat. I think the title just resonated with me as a Toronto native, growing up around the Caribbean culture. With the smooth vibes of the production my mind automatically gravitated towards a song for a female.

The video to the song is pretty dope! Lol. Very creative, I would have never expected that! Haha. How did this idea come about?

Haha. Thank you man. Alright, so I'm in a serious relationship right now, so I wanted to find a way to respect my girl and still have a female in the music video. She isn't interested in being on camera like that lol so I started brainstorming. That's how I got to the idea of having a female mannequin be the leading lady LOL! So.... that mannequin is styled in representation of my girl. I had to confirm that she wouldn't judge me before moving forward with it haha.

Your project “Love Notes” is a nice project bro; The melodies, vocals, and message are on point. Can you tell us how it is that you came up with the songs/album. What was the inspiration behind the style/message of the EP, were you trying to win a girls heart over? Would not be surprised if it did! lol

So initially, I just jumped on the "Little Tings" beat, sent that to the homie BXNHMCVRTR and then he hit me back with 4 more beats; the tracks that help complete "Love Notes". The whole vibe flowed smoothly and just felt right to stay on the topic of one special lady.

This project is solely dedicated to my girlfriend, the experiences that I have with her, but really relate to anyone in a relationship with someone that they truly care about.

The song titles were actually the actual titles of the beats when BXNHMCVRTR sent them to me, and kind of cater to the subject matter of each record.

Haha, I'm hoping I already won her heart over, this was just reassurance so she knows the feelings are mutual.

You’ve been doing multiple shows now, which one would you consider your most memorable so far? Why?

Yeah, I've been doing a decent amount of shows around the city but I think my #ManeStream mixtape release party was by far the most memorable showcase for me. This was my first show with friend and drummer Michael Tyler.

My manager at that time and myself curated a showcase that included artists that I met from my region, that were people I consistently look for new drops from. So it was dope to have them come out and support at my first real headlining event.

I think the amount of people that we had come out for that event, showed me how much support I had in the Toronto music scene, from my peers to just supporters in general.

Are there any other projects coming up for 2017, or for the future?

I'm currently wrapping up #ManeStream2 which I plan to release early 2017. Aside from that I'm currently working on an EP with producer SoyTippi, as well as a project with Scarborough based artists Ceezar & Reezy.

Keep doing your thing brother, your music sure does not go unrecognized. You have a dope style and it’s no doubt why you’re rocking shows. Is there anything you would like to say to your supporters?

Thank you so much man. Support from websites like KEYBO, people that comment on the song posts, that follow me on social media just to keep up to date with everything I'm doing keep me inspired to do more!! Please continue to share my music, and listen to what I have to say! I'm speaking for us.

Any additional information you would like to let us, your listeners, and artists know, that we did not ask?

Remember to check out my latest EP "Love Notes"!! Available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play & SoundCloud. I have new music videos coming very soon and new music on the way so just stay tuned in to @ElceeTheArtist on any social media platform. If you can't find me on one, let me know and I'll sign up for it!

Stay connected with ElceeTheArtist, his dedication, perseverance, humility, and craft are a mixture that call for success. Follow him on Instagram, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Twitter .